Feed-water heater and purifier.



No. 693,268. Patented FBIL II, I902.

- T. GUNNING.

FEED WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

(Applicutin n filed No'v. 24, 1900. Renewgad Dec. 10, 1901,

4N0 Model.)

OOOOOQOOOOOO THE nonnls PETERS co PHOTO LIYHD.. WASHINGTON, D c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GUNNING, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-WATER HEATER AND PU -R-lF lER.

SPEClIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,268, dated February 11, 1902 Applicationfiled November 24, 1900. Renewed December l0, 1901. Serial No."3 5,3'78. (No model.)

To all whom/- it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS GUNNING, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain The object of the present invention is to provide improved means for preventing the lodgment of incrustation in the feed-Water passage-ways within the superheating steamchamber.

In the before-noted patent I pointed out the advantages derived from passing the feed- 4 water through a steam-chamber, whereby its temperature is raised to practically that within the boiler, and showed the feed-water pipe 'passed'tortuously through the steam-chamber. In my present invention the latter is provided with a series of horizontally-disposed tubes mounted in headers, which tubes are surrounded by live steam, so that thewater passing through them will be brought up to boiler temperature, the water being introduced at one end of the chamber and discharged at the other. To prevent the lodgment of incrustation or the deposit of any foreign substance on the interior of the tubes, I place within the latter a series of metallic bodies, such as chains, which, being incased by the tubes, will be of lower temperature than the latter, and hence upon them the incrustation will form, it being well-known that such formation is always on a cooler portion of the surrounding casing. When this occurs to such an extent as to affect the temperature of the discharged water, the chains are removed from the tubes through hand-holes in one end of the steam-chamber and a new set substituted.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out "in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is -view online 2 2,Fig. 1.

.closed.

anend elevation with the superheating steamchamber in section. Fig. 2 isa cross-sectional Fig. 3 is an enlarged view through a portion of one of the tubes.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a superheatingsteam-chamber, which is shown as beinghorizontally disposed above two boilers 2, forming part of a battery of boilers. (Not shown.) At its top this chamber is connected bya valved pipe to an overhead steammain 3, and atits bottom is connected by valved pipes l to the steam-spaces of the boilers 2. As pointedout in my before-mentioned patent, steam is supplied to the steamchamber from the boilers 2 and steam-main leading from the battery of boilers, and any water of condensation within said chamber is allowed to drain through pipes 4. to the boilers 2. I

5 is a valved feed-water-supply pipe leading from a pumpfi and openinginto chamber 1 near the end 7 thereof, which end isremovably secured to the flanged end of the chamber and is equipped with a manhole 8. Within the chamber is a series of horizontally-disposed tubes 9, expanded at their ends in headers 10,,seeured by rivets or otherwise to the shell of the chamber. The water passes through these tubes and out of the chamber adjacent to the end 12 through a pipe 13, by which it is conveyed first to a filter (shown at 14) and thence to a boiler through a pipe 15. The end l2'is also removably secured to the flanged end of the chamber andis equipped with aplurality of hand-holes 16, normally Withinyeach of the tubes I place a metallic body, such asachain 17. As pointed out in mybefore-mentioned patent, the water forced from the feed-pump'passes into the superheating steam-chamber, and by reason of the presence of live steam therein is heated or raised to boiler temperature, thereby precipitating all foreign substances contained in the water and reducing the same to sludge. The chains within the tubes being of a lower temperature than that of the tubes themselves will attract any sludge or incrustationforming substances and prevent the same from depositing on the walls of the tubes.

When it is found by means of a thermometer I required temperature, it is indicative of the fact that incrustation is forming Within the tubes. Thereupon the valves in pipes 4 are closed, as is also the valve in the pipe leading from the steam-main 3 and the valve in feed-water pipe 5. The covers of the handholes are removed and the several chains are withdrawn from the tubes of the steam-chamber and are either cleaned and then replaced or a new set of chains inserted, after which the hand-hole covers are restored. Any sediment within the end compartments of chamber 1 may be drawn off through the valved drain-pipes 19, projecting from the bottom of such chamber. In this Way not only am I enabled to supply the battery of boilers with pure Water heated to practically the temperature of the boilers, but I avoid all possibility of incrustation forming within the tubes in which the feed-water is heated in passing through the superheating steam-chamber.

Although I have specified removable chains as the medium employed for insuring the collection of incrustation-forming substances, yet it is obvious that the same results may be secured by inserting in each of the tubes any metallic article of such construction that it Will extend throughout the length of each tube and which is capable of being readily withdrawn from or inserted in the same.

The ends of the steam-chamber being removable and one of them being equipped with a manhole, access may be readily had to the interior of said chamber in case repairs are found necessary or for the purpose of expanding or tightening the ends of the tubes.

The advantages of my inventionare apparcut to those skilled in the art.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a superheating steam-chamber, and means for supplying live steam thereto, of a feed-water pipe entering the said chamber at one end and leading from the otherend thereof, a series of water-tubes within said chamber, and a series of removable metallic bodies located in said tubes and designed to be removed therefrom when incrustation forms on such bodies, as set forth.

2. The combination with a superheating steam-chamber having normally closed openings in one of its ends, and means for supplying live steam to such chamber, of a feedwater pipe entering the said chamber at one end and leading from the other end thereof, a series of Water-tubes within said chamber, and a series of removable metallic bodies located in such tubes,said bodies being designed to be removed through said openings when incrustation forms thereon, as set forth.

3. The combination with a superheating steam-chamber having normally closed openings in one of its ends, headers in said chamber, and water-tubes supported by said headers, of a feed-Water pipe entering said chamber at one end, a second pipe leading from the other end of said chamber, and a series of removable metallic bodies located in said tubes and designed to be removed therefrom when incrustation forms thereon, as set forth.

4:. The combination with a boiler or boilers, and an overhead steammain, of a steamchamber horizontally disposed above said boiler or boilers and intermediate of the latter and said main, pipes connecting said steain-chamber with said boiler or boilers and the steam-main, a feed-water pipe extending into said steam-chamber at one end thereof, headers in said chamber, water-tubes mounted in said headers, and a series of removable metallic bodies located in said tubes and designed to be removed therefrom when incrustation forms on them, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS GUNNING.

WVitnesses:

GRAFTON L. McGILL, FRANK S. lVlAGUIl-UG. 

